Integrated capacitive and inductive power sources for a plasma etching chamber

ABSTRACT

Broadly speaking, the embodiments of the present invention provide an improved chamber cleaning mechanism. The present invention can also be used to provide additional knobs to tune the etch processes. In one embodiment, a plasma processing chamber configured to generate a plasma includes a bottom electrode assembly with an bottom electrode, wherein the bottom electrode is configured to receive a substrate. The plasma processing chamber includes a top electrode assembly with a top electrode and an inductive coil surrounding the top electrode. The inductive coil is configured to convert a gas into a plasma within a region defined within the chamber, wherein the region is outside an area defined above a top surface of the bottom electrode.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to U.S. Patent Application No. 11/355,458filed on the same day as the instant application and entitled “PlasmaProcessing Reactor With Multiple Capacitive and Inductive PowerSources.” The disclosure of this related application is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

In the fabrication of semiconductor based devices (e.g. integratedcircuits or flat panel displays), layers of material may alternately bedeposited onto and etched from a substrate surface (e.g., thesemiconductor wafer or the glass panel). As is well known in the art,the etching of the deposited layer(s) may be accomplished by a varietyof techniques, including plasma-enhanced etching. In plasma-enhancedetching, the actual etching of the substrate takes place inside a plasmaprocessing chamber. During the etching process, a plasma is formed froma suitable etchant source gas to etch areas of the workpiece that areunprotected by the etch mask, leaving behind the desired pattern.

During plasma etching of a substrate, etch byproduct, which is made ofpolymers formed by photoresist or etched material layer with etchingchemistry, is mainly deposited on the peripheral chamber hardware. Thedeposited byproduct accumulates with subsequent substrate etching. Toimprove device yield of substrate manufacturing, it is important tomaintain a reproducible chamber, which can be achieved by performing achamber cleaning process periodically after one or more substrate hasbeen etched. Typically, chamber cleaning is performed after etchingevery substrate.

Capacitively coupled vacuum plasma systems are frequently employed toetch dielectric material from a semiconductor substrate. The capacitivesystems have the advantages of causing low plasma damage and havinghigher selectivity to the underlayer and photoresist layer. However,when a capacitively coupled plasma is used to clean the chamber aftersubstrate etching, the capacitively coupled plasma, which has relativelyhigh ion energy, would bombard the exposed electrostatic chuck. Theelectrostatic chuck is used to support the substrate during substrateetching, and bombarding the exposed electrostatic chuck results inelectrostatic chuck lifetime degradation and particle generation. Inaddition, the capacitively coupled plasma generated by the top andbottom electrodes in the chamber is mainly concentrated in the centerregion above the electrostatic chuck and is not effective in cleaningthe peripheral chamber hardware. In order to fully clean the peripheralchamber hardware, extended cleaning time is needed, which impacts themanufacturing throughput. In current capacitively coupled plasmareactors, the chamber clean after processing (or etching) each substrateis generally optimized within the constraints mentioned above.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a method and apparatusthat provides an improved chamber cleaning mechanism to increaseelectrostatic chuck lifetime, to improve substrate yield, and toincrease manufacturing throughput.

SUMMARY

Broadly speaking, the embodiments of the present invention fill theseneeds by providing an improved chamber cleaning mechanism. In addition,the embodiments of the present invention provide additional knobs totune the etch processes. It should be appreciated that the presentinvention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a process,an apparatus, or a system. Several inventive embodiments of the presentinvention are described below.

In one embodiment, a plasma processing chamber configured to generate aplasma includes a bottom electrode assembly with an bottom electrode,wherein the bottom electrode is configured to receive a substrate. Theplasma processing chamber includes a top electrode assembly with a topelectrode and an inductive coil surrounding the top electrode. Theinductive coil is configured to convert a gas into a plasma within aregion defined within the chamber, wherein the region is outside an areadefined above a top surface of the bottom electrode.

In another embodiment, a plasma processing chamber configured togenerate a plasma includes a bottom electrode assembly with an bottomelectrode, wherein the bottom electrode is configured to receive asubstrate. The plasma processing chamber includes a top electrodeassembly including a top capacitive electrode, an inner and an outerinductive coils disposed above the top capacitive electrode. The outerinductive coil is disposed over a surface, wherein the surface isdefined outside of a circumference of the bottom electrode. The topcapacitive electrode is disposed directly above the bottom electrode.The bottom electrode and the top capacitive electrode are configured toconvert a first gas into a first plasma. The outer inductive coil isconfigured to convert a second gas into a second plasma.

In yet another embodiment, a method of generating a plasma in a plasmaprocessing chamber includes the method operations of supplying a processgas into the plasma processing chamber. The method of generating aplasma includes generating a plasma by powering an inductive coil. Theinductive coil is part of a top electrode assembly and surrounds aperiphery of a top electrode of the top electrode assembly. Theinductive coil is also disposed over a surface defined outside of acircumference of a bottom electrode disposed beneath the top capacitiveelectrode.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be readily understood by the followingdetailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, andlike reference numerals designate like structural elements.

FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a substrateetching system.

FIG. 1B shows a process flow of generating a cleaning plasma in a plasmasystem.

FIG. 1C shows a process flow of generating an etching plasma in a plasmasystem.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a substrateetching system.

FIG. 3A shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a substrateetching system.

FIG. 3B shows a process flow of generating a cleaning plasma in a plasmasystem.

FIG. 3C shows a process flow of generating an etching plasma in a plasmasystem.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of yet another embodiment of asubstrate etching system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Several exemplary embodiments for an improved and more effective andmore flexible chamber cleaning and etching system, method and apparatuswill now be described. It will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat the present invention may be practiced without some or all of thespecific details set forth herein.

As described earlier, a reproducible chamber wall surface conditionafter etching each substrate would improve the yield. An effectivein-situ chamber clean has become a key feature for next generationplasma etch reactor. One embodiment of the present invention provides asecond plasma source surrounding the substrate support. The secondplasma source, which is placed near the periphery of the processchamber, can be initiated during a chamber clean operation aftersubstrate etching to clean the peripheral chamber hardware that hasaccumulated etching byproduct during substrate etching. FIG. 1A shows across-sectional view of a plasma processing apparatus 100 that has asecond plasma source surrounding the substrate support. This embodimentincludes a bottom electrode 131 that is composed of a conductivematerial, which is operatively coupled to a RF (radio frequency) match138 and a RF power supply 139. The bottom electrode 131 is also asubstrate support and is part of a bottom electrode assembly 130. In oneembodiment, the RF power supply 139 is a multiple frequency powersupply. For example, the power source can have a mixture of frequenciesin the range between about 400 kHz to about 60 MHz. Plasma is generatedwhen RF power is delivered from the bottom electrode 131 to the gasinside the process chamber. In one embodiment, the RF power supplydelivers RF power levels of up to about 1 Watt to about 10 Watts.

In one embodiment, the bottom electrode assembly 130 has a built-incooling mechanism (not shown) that can cool the substrate to be in thetemperature range between about −20° C. to about 70° C. Surrounding thesubstrate support is a conductive ring 133 that provides additionalgrounding path for plasma during substrate processing. Between thebottom electrode 131 and the conductive ring 133, there is a dielectricring 132 that insulate the substrate support and the conductive ring133.

By way of example and not of limitation, the bottom electrode 131 has anarea that is adapted to receive a 300 mm substrate. In one embodiment,the powered bottom electrode 131 is configured to receive a substrate(not shown) and is configured to clamp the substrate to the bottomelectrode 131 during substrate etching operation. The substrate iselectrostatically clamped or “chucked” to the bottom electrode usingwell-known systems and methods. These well-known systems and methodsinclude coating the bottom electrode 131 with a dielectric material thatincorporates high-voltage electrodes (not shown) for chucking anddechucking purposes. The plasma processing apparatus 100 includeschamber walls 140 which are grounded through a ground 135. The ground135 is separated from the bottom electrode 131 by a dielectric material136.

A first top electrode 111 is disposed a short distance above the bottomelectrode 131. Generally, the top electrode 111 is made from a materialthat is compatible with the substrate to avoid contamination. The firsttop electrode 111 is part of a top electrode assembly 110, which isconnected to a ground 148 and provides a complete electrical circuit forthe RF power. The first top electrode 111 has a surface area that mayvary from that of the bottom electrode 131. The top electrode assembly110 is coupled to the chamber cover 117, which is grounded throughground 118. By way of example and not of limitation, the first topelectrode 111 is composed of a conductive material such as silicon orsilicon carbide. Additionally, by way of example and not of limitation,the first top electrode 111 is located about 2 cm to about 3 cm from thebottom electrode.

Surrounding the top electrode 111 is a second top electrode 112, made ofan inductive coil 112. The inductive coil 112 is buried in a dielectricmaterial 113. The coil 112 is coupled to a RF match 126, which iscoupled to a RF power source 127. In one embodiment, the RF power source127 can supply a mixed frequency power. The frequency of power the RFpower source 127 can be single or multiple in the range between about400 kHz to about 26 MHz. In one embodiment, the power to create theinductively coupled plasma is between about 0 watts to about 2000 watts.

A Faraday shield 114 is placed below the dielectric material 113.Surrounding the dielectric material 113 is a conductive block 115, whichmakes electrical contact with the Faraday shield 114 to provide agrounding path for RF power from the bottom electrode 131. Below andsurrounding the outer edge of the Faraday shield 114 is a recesseddielectric ring 116. In one embodiment, the dielectric ring 116 iscomposed of quartz.

The Faraday shield 114 provides a RF grounding path to the RF powercoming from any of the electrodes. The Faraday shield 114 also helps tomaintain an area ratio between the grounding area and powering area inthe process chamber so the voltage-drops in the chamber duringcapacitively coupled plasma processing do not change with theintroduction of the inductive coil 112. Maintaining the same area ratioallows the etching processes to remain consistent even with theintroduction of the inductive coil 112. In addition, the Faraday shield114 blocks electrical field from the inductive source to minimizecapacitive coupling of from the inductive coils 112 during inductiveplasma processing to avoid sputtering of chamber components. Details ofhow to design Faraday shield can be founded in co-assigned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/232,564, filed on Aug. 30, 2002, entitled“Faraday Shield Disposed within an Inductively Coupled Plasma EtchingChamber,” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/345,582, filed on Jan.15, 2003, entitled “Dual Interleaved Faraday Shields For An InductivelyCoupled Plasma Etching Chamber.” Both patent applications areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.During chamber clean, the coil 112 is powered by the RF power source 127to produce inductively coupled plasma in region 150. During chamberclean, the conductive ring 133 is grounded and the bottom electrode isfloating; therefore, the inductively coupled plasma in region 150 ismainly concentrated between the inductive coil 112 and the conductivering 133.

Surrounding the first top electrode 111 and the second top electrode 112is an insulator 120. Below the insulator 120 are plasma confinementrings 121, 122, 123. It should be appreciated that here could be one ormore plasma confinement rings. The confinement rings 121, 122, 123provide confinement to the plasma that is generated within theprocessing chamber. In one embodiment, the confinement rings 121, 122,and 123 are composed of quartz. Details about the plasma confinementrings can be founded in co-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,212, issued onJun. 1, 2004, entitled “Plasma Processing Apparatus And Method ForConfining An RF Plasma Under Very High Gas Flow and RF Power DensityConditions,” and U.S. Pat. No 6,872,281, issued on Mar. 29, 2005,entitled “Chamber Configuration For Confining A Plasma.” Both patentsare incorporated herein by reference.

A gas feed 128 is coupled to the center of the top electrode assembly110. The gas supplied by the gas feed 128 into the process chamberplenum 180 can be a single gas or a gas mixture of more than one gas. Inone embodiment, once the gas reaches the top electrode assembly 110, thegas feed 128 supplies the gas to the process chamber from both thecenter and the edge of the first top electrode 111. In one embodiment,the first top electrode 111 is also a gas distribution showerhead. Byway of example and not of limitation, the total gas flow rate is up to1500 sccm. In one embodiment, the top electrode assembly 110 also has aheater plate (not shown) that can be used to maintain the temperature ofthe top electrode 111 to be between about 22° C. to about 200° C.

As described earlier, the top electrode 111 is grounded through ground148. The top electrode 111 can also be coupled to a RF power source (notshown) or a DC power source (not shown). The power source for thecapacitively coupled plasma between the first top electrode 111 and thebottom electrode 131 can come from the power source coupled to the firsttop electrode 111, instead of the bottom electrode 131. When the poweris supplied from the top electrode 111, the bottom electrode 131 isgrounded. In addition, the top and bottom electrodes can supply RF powersource alternatively. For example, the RF power source for the first topelectrode 111 can also have a mixture of frequencies at 2 MHz, 27 MHz,and 60 MHz.

The inductive plasma source can create a high density plasma in theperipheral region 150 without any significant sputtering of the chamberwall materials. As described earlier, sputtering of the chamber wallmaterials which could contaminate the chamber or decrease the lifetimeof the parts. The inductive plasma source can effectively clean polymer(or etch byproduct) deposited on the peripheral chamber hardware, whichcomes in contact with the etch process plasma.

FIG. 1B shows an embodiment of a process flow for creating a chambercleaning plasma. At operation 161, chamber cleaning gas, such as O₂,CF₄, etc., is supplied to the plasma process chamber. At operation 163,RF power is supplied to the inductive coil 112 of the plasma processchamber plenum 180 to generate the chamber cleaning plasma. The chambercleaning plasma can then be used to clean the chamber. During chambercleaning, the bottom electrode 131 is floating. The chamber cleaningplasma in region 150 is away from the bottom electrode 131 and is mainlydisposed between the inductive electrode 112 and the conductive ring 133of FIG. 1A.

Typical parallel plate capacitive coupled plasma shows a drop in plasmadensity near the edge of the substrate (or wafer) during etchingprocess. The inductive plasma source provides a radial uniformitycontrol knob. The inductive plasma can be turned on during an etchingprocess to provide additional plasma density at the edge of thesubstrate without affecting the RF ground path of the main capacitivepowers. It should be appreciated that the RF grounding path is notaffected due to the usage of the Faraday shield. In addition, theinductive source plasma can also provide plasma to processes thatrequire high plasma density and very low ion energy on the substrate,for example photoresist stripping for low-k dielectric etch.Consequently, usage of the inductive source plasma can increase the etchprocess window of the reactor.

FIG. 1C shows an embodiment of a process flow for generating an etchingplasma. At operation 171, etching gas(es), such as AR, C₄F₈, and O₂ forhigh aspect ratio contact etch (HARC), or Ar, CF₄, CHF₃, and O₂ foroxide tech, is supplied to the plasma processing chamber. After theetching gas enters the process chamber, RF power is supplied to thecapacitive electrode and the inductive electrode to generate an etchingplasma at operation 173. The etching plasma generated has a capacitivecomponent and an inductive component. The inductive component near thesubstrate edge can increase the plasma density at the substrate edge tomake up for the drop of plasma density at the edge of the substrate, asdescribed above. Therefore, the etching plasma can become more uniformacross the substrate surface by the addition of the inductive componentat the edge of the substrate.

FIG. 2 shows a variation 200 of the previous embodiment 100 of FIG. 1A.Two sets of inductive coils 212A, 212B are placed in the top electrodeassembly 210. The two set of inductive coils are made of one inner coil212A and one outer coil 212B. In one embodiment, the inner coil 212A isburied in a dielectric material 213; and the outer coil 212B is buriedin a dielectric material 213. The Faraday shield 214 is placed over theentire top electrode 211 to cover both the inner coil 212A and the outercoil 212B. Faraday shield 214 has similar functions as the Faradayshield 114 of FIG. 1A described above. Both sets of coils 212A, 212B arecoupled to a RF match 226, which is coupled to a RF power supply 227.Due to the placement of the two sets of coils 212A, 212B, the processgas is supplied to the top electrode 211, which may also be ashowerhead, through a center gas feed 228B and an edge gas feed 228A.Other components in FIG. 2 are similar to those already mentioned inFIG. 1A.

During chamber cleaning, both inductive coils 212A and 212B can bepowered, or only the outer coil 212 B is powered, to create a cleaningplasma. If both coils are powered during chamber clean, a percentage ofthe power can be supplied to the inner coil, for example 0% to 50%,while the remaining power is supplied to the outer coil 112B, forexample 50% to 100%. It should be appreciated that the soft inductiveplasma would not damage the electrostatic chuck during cleaning. Itshould be further appreciated that the additional inner inductive coilprovides an additional processing tuning knob for the chamber cleaningprocess. The inner and outer coils can be powered at a differentfrequency or frequency mixture. Under such a circumstance, the inner andouter coils would need separate power supplies. Additional power supplywould be added.

In one embodiment, an inductive plasma in region 250 is created by firstsupplying a cleaning gas (or a cleaning gas mixture) into the plasmaprocess chamber and then powering the inductive coils 212A and 212B bysupplying all the power to coil 212B. During chamber cleaning operation,the bottom electrode 231 may be kept floating and the conductive ring233 is grounded.

As described above, the inductive plasma source can create high-densityplasma in the peripheral area without any significant sputtering of thechamber wall materials, which could contaminate the chamber or decreasethe lifetime of the parts. The inductive plasma source can effectivelyclean polymer (or etch byproduct) deposited on the peripheral chamberhardware, which comes in contact with the etch process plasma.

Both or one of the inductive coils 212A, 212B can also be powered, aswell as the capacitive plasma power, to tune the etch plasma uniformity.In addition to the capacitively coupled plasma generated between the topelectrode 211 and the bottom electrode 231, the inductive power sources212A, 212B can also be turned on to created inductive plasma, and can betuned to improve plasma uniformity across the substrate during anetching process. Typically for capacitively coupled plasma, the plasmadensity is low at the edge of the substrate. The inductive coil(s) 112in FIG. 1A and the outer coil(s) 212B in FIG. 2 can help raise the iondensity at the edge of the substrate. The inner coil(s) 212A and outercoil(s) 212B of FIG. 2 can also be used simultaneously to tune theplasma density. As mentioned above, a percentage of the power can besupplied to the inner coil(s) 212A, and the remainder supplied to theouter coil(s) 212B. The inner and outer coils 212A, 212B in FIG. 2provides additional process tuning knobs for etching processes. For someapplications, only inductive power from the inductive coils (inner,outer, or both) is utilized to generate inductive plasma.

By using Faraday shield 214, the RF grounding path is not affected. Inaddition, the inductive source plasma can provide plasma to processesthat require high plasma density and very low ion energy on thesubstrate, such as photoresist stripping or low-k dielectric etch.Therefore, the usage of the two sets of inductive coils would increasethe process windows for etch processes. The process flow to generate anetching plasma by the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is similar to theprocess flow of FIG. 1C, except that the single inductive electrode isreplaced with double inductive electrodes (coils 212A, 212B). Theetching plasma generated has a capacitive component and an inductivecomponent. The inductive component can be tuned to increase the plasmauniformity across the substrate.

Another embodiment 300 of the current invention is shown in FIG. 3A. InFIG. 3A, an outer bottom electrode 335 is placed under a conductive ring333, in addition to the inner bottom electrode 331. The inner bottomelectrode 331 is configured to support a substrate. The outer bottomelectrode 335 can be coupled to the same RF power source 339 as theinner bottom electrode 331, which is part of the bottom electrodeassembly 330. RF power source 339 can supply single frequency ormultiple frequencies in the range between about 400 kHz to about 60 MHz.The RF power source 339 supplies power to the inner bottom electrode 331and to the outer bottom electrode 335, and is connected to a RF match338. In one embodiment, switch 336 controls application of the RF powerto the electrodes. During substrate etching, switch 336 controls the RFpower to be supplied to the inner bottom electrode 331. During thisprocess, the outer bottom electrode 335 could be coupled to ground 337or to a RF tuning block kit 357. The RF tuning block kit 357 allowsselective grounding of certain frequency of the RF power supplied bypower supply 339 to the inner bottom electrode 331. For example, if theRF power supplied to the inner bottom electrode 331 includes 2 MHz, 27MHz and 60 MHz. Selective grounding by the RF tuning block kit 357allows grounding of one or two particular frequencies, such as 60 MHz,to tune the etching processing uniformity.

Separate power sources can also be used to supply power simultaneouslyor alternately to the inner bottom electrode 331 and to the outer bottomelectrode 335. Other components in FIG. 3A are similar to those alreadymentioned in FIG. 1A. During chamber cleaning, the power is supplied tothe outer bottom electrode 335 to provide a capacitively coupled plasmain region 350 to clean the peripheral chamber. The capacitively coupledplasma in region 350 is generated between the top electrode 311 and theouter bottom electrode 335. During the cleaning process, the bottomelectrode may be floating; therefore, the capacitively coupled cleaningplasma, and its destructive effects are kept away from the exposed innerbottom electrode 331 (or electrostatic chuck). In turn, the cleaningplasma does not bombard the inner bottom electrode (or electrostaticchuck), and hence extends the lifetime of the inner bottom electrode (orelectrostatic chuck). In addition, not as many particles are generatedas using the capacitively coupled plasma from the bottom electrode 331as compared to prior cleaning technologies.

The peripheral capacitive plasma source creates high-density plasma inthe peripheral region 350. It should be appreciated that the capacitiveplasma source can effectively clean polymer (or etch byproduct)deposited on the peripheral chamber hardware, which comes in contactwith the etch process plasma.

FIG. 3B shows an embodiment of a process flow for creating a chambercleaning plasma. At operation 361, chamber cleaning gas, such as O₂,CF₄, etc., is supplied to the plasma process chamber. At operation 363,RF power is supplied to the outer bottom electrode of the plasma processchamber to generate the chamber cleaning plasma. The chamber cleaningplasma can then be used to clean the chamber. During chamber cleaning,the inner bottom electrode is kept floating. The chamber cleaning plasmain the peripheral region is substantially away from the bottom electrodeand is mainly disposed between the outer bottom electrode and the topelectrode.

In addition, the peripheral capacitive plasma source provides theability to include a radial uniformity control knob. The peripheralcapacitive plasma can be turned on during etching process to improve theetch plasma uniformity near the edge of the electrodes for the maincapacitively coupled plasma.

FIG. 3C shows an embodiment of a process flow for generating an etchingplasma. At operation 371, etching gas(es), such as AR, C₄F₈, and O₂ forhigh aspect ratio contact etch (HARC), or Ar, CF₄, CHF₃, and 0 ₂ foroxide etch, is supplied to the plasma processing chamber. At operation373, RF power is supplied to the inner bottom electrode (331) and theouter bottom electrode (335) to generate an etching plasma. It should beappreciated that the outer bottom electrode helps to increase the plasmadensity near the edge of the substrate.

Another embodiment of the current invention is shown in FIG. 4. In FIG.4, a second bottom electrode 435, formed by an inductive coil, is placedunder the conductive ring 433 and a Faraday shield 414. The secondbottom electrode 435 can be coupled to the same RF power source at thefirst bottom electrode 431. The RF power source 439 supplies RF power tothe first bottom electrode 431 or to the second bottom electrode 435 andis controlled by a switch 436. RF power source 439 can supply singlefrequency or multiple frequencies in the range between about 400 kHz toabout 60 MHz. The RF power source 439 supplies power to the inner bottomelectrode 431 and to the outer bottom electrode 335, and is connected toa RF match 438. In one embodiment, switch 436 controls application ofthe RF power to the electrodes. During substrate etching, switch 436controls the RF power to be supplied to the inner bottom electrode 431.During this process, the outer bottom electrode 335 could be coupled toground 437 or to a RF tuning block kit 457.

Separate RF power supplies can also be used to provide RF power to thebottom electrode 431 and to the second bottom electrode 435. Duringsubstrate etching, the power is supplied to the bottom electrode 431.Other components in FIG. 4 are similar to those already mentioned inFIG. 1A.

During chamber cleaning, the cleaning gas is first supplied to theplasma process chamber. Afterwards, the power is supplied to the secondbottom electrode 435 to provide inductively coupled plasma in region 450to clean the peripheral chamber hardware. The inductively coupled plasmain region 450 is generated between the top electrode 411 and the secondbottom electrode 435 and exists mainly near the edge of the chamber.Since the plasma is near the edge of the chamber and is generated froman inductive source (low ion energy), the plasma does not bombard thebottom electrode (or electrostatic chuck) as much and extends thelife-time of the bottom electrode, or electrostatic chuck. Additionally,the plasma does not create as many particles as using the capacitivelycoupled plasma from the first bottom electrode 431.

As described above, the inductive plasma source can create high-densityplasma in the peripheral area without any significant sputtering of thechamber wall materials, which could contaminate the chamber or decreasethe lifetime of the parts. The inductive plasma source can effectivelyclean polymer (or etch byproduct) deposited on the peripheral chamberhardware, which comes in contact with the etch process plasma withoutthe deleterious effects of prior art techniques.

Typical parallel plate capacitive coupled plasma shows a drop in plasmadensity near the edge of the chamber during etching process. Theinductive plasma source mentioned above provides a radial uniformitycontrol knob. The inductive plasma can be turned on during etchingprocess to provide additional plasma density at the edge of theelectrodes without affecting the RF ground path of the main capacitivepowers. In addition, the inductive source plasma can provide plasma toprocesses that require high plasma density and very low ion energy onthe substrate, for example photoresist stripping or low-k dielectricetch. Therefore, usage of the extra peripheral electrode can increasethe process windows for etching processes as well as more effectivelyclean the chamber between etch operations.

The plasma process chamber described above provides a range of plasmadensity, ion energy, and chemistry control for a wide range of processapplication, such as dual damascene multi-step processes, high aspectratio contact etch (HARC), strip, etc., along with effective chamberclean by a combination of capacitive and inductive plasma sources. Inone embodiment, the effective chamber clean can be applied for nextgeneration particle control to improve yield and to extend the life-timeof the electro-static chucks used in the etching chamber.

The plasma process chamber described above provides knobs to controlradial uniformity of process parameters on the substrate. The processapplications that use multi-step recipes involve a range of processpressure, RF power, and chemistries that produce a wide range of centerto edge uniformity. The availability of in-situ control knobs providesflexibility for maintaining tight uniformity control for the processapplications that use multi-step recipes as feature sizes continue toshrink.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail forpurposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certainchanges and modifications may be practiced within the scope of theappended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is notto be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified withinthe scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A plasma processing chamber configured togenerate a plasma, comprising: a bottom electrode assembly having anbottom electrode and a conductive ring surrounding the bottom electrode,wherein the conductive ring is separated from the bottom electrode by adielectric ring and the conductive ring is grounded, wherein the bottomelectrode is configured to receive a substrate; and a top electrodeassembly including a top capacitive electrode, an inner and an outerinductive coil disposed above the top capacitive electrode, the outerinductive coil is disposed over a surface of the conductive ring that isdefined outside of a circumference of the bottom electrode, and theinner inductive coil is disposed over a surface of the bottom electrodeand positioned inside of the outer inductive coil, such that the outerinductive coil and the inner inductive coil are each coupled to aseparate power supply to define a region between the outer inductivecoil and the conductive ring with inductive power separately from aregion between the inner inductive coil and the bottom electrode.
 2. Theplasma processing chamber of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality ofconfinement rings surrounding a volume within which the first plasma orthe second plasma is substantially disposed, wherein the plurality ofconfinement rings are suspended parallel to bottom electrode within theplasma processing chamber.
 3. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1,wherein one of the separate power supplies is an RF power source iscoupled to the outer inductive coil to supply RF power with singlefrequency or multiple frequencies in the range between about 400 kHz toabout 27 MHz.
 4. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein thetop capacitive electrode is coupled to ground and the bottom electrodeis coupled to RF power.
 5. The plasma processing chamber of claim 4,wherein a RF power source is coupled to either the top capacitiveelectrode or the bottom electrode.
 6. The plasma processing chamber ofclaim 1, wherein both the inner and the outer inductive coils are belowa chamber cover and buried in a dielectric material encircled by aconductive block, and wherein a Faraday shield is disposed beneath thedielectric material, and wherein the conductive block makes electricalcontact with the Faraday shield to provide a grounding path to RF powercoming from any of the electrodes.
 7. A plasma processing chamber,comprising: (a) a top electrode assembly including, (i) a top capacitiveelectrode for processing a semiconductor wafer in the processingchamber; and (ii) an inner inductive coil and an outer inductive coilfor chamber cleaning or assisting in the processing of the semiconductorwafer; (b) a bottom electrode disposed under the top capacitiveelectrode; (c) a dielectric ring surrounding the bottom electrode; (d) aconductive ring, being coupled to ground, surrounds the bottomelectrode, such that the dielectric ring is disposed between theconductive ring and the bottom electrode; wherein the inner inductivecoil is disposed over the bottom electrode and the outer inductive coilis disposed over the conductive ring.
 8. A plasma processing chamber asrecited in claim 7, wherein the each of the inner and outer inductivecoils is coupled to a separate RF power supply.
 9. A plasma processingchamber as recited in claim 8, wherein a region is defined between theouter inductive coil and the conductive ring with inductive power thatis separate from a region defined with inductive power between the innerinductive coil and the bottom electrode.
 10. A plasma processing chamberas recited in claim 7, further comprising: (e) a plurality ofconfinement rings disposed in the processing chamber adjacent to aregion between the conductive ring and the outer inductive coil.
 11. Aplasma processing chamber as recited in claim 7, wherein the topcapacitive electrode is coupled to ground and the bottom electrode iscoupled to RF power.
 12. A plasma processing chamber as recited in claim7, wherein an RF power source is coupled to either the top capacitiveelectrode or the bottom electrode.
 13. A plasma processing chamber asrecited in claim 7, wherein both the inner and the outer inductive coilsare below a chamber cover and buried in a dielectric material encircledby a conductive block, and wherein a Faraday shield is disposed beneaththe dielectric material, and wherein the conductive block makeselectrical contact with the Faraday shield to provide a grounding pathto RF power from any of the electrodes.
 14. A plasma processing chamberfor capacitive coupled substrate processing and inductive coil cleaningof the plasma processing chamber, comprising: (a) a top electrodeassembly including, (i) a top capacitive electrode; and (ii) an innerinductive coil and an outer inductive coil; (b) a bottom electrodedisposed under the top capacitive electrode; (c) a dielectric ringsurrounding the bottom electrode; (d) a conductive ring, being coupledto ground, surrounds the bottom electrode, such that the dielectric ringis disposed between the conductive ring and the bottom electrode, theinner inductive coil is disposed over the bottom electrode and the outerinductive coil is disposed over the conductive ring; and (e) one or moreconfinement rings disposed in the processing chamber adjacent to aregion between the conductive ring and the outer inductive coil.
 15. Aplasma processing chamber as recited in claim 14, wherein the topcapacitive electrode is coupled to ground and the bottom electrode iscoupled to RF power.
 16. A plasma processing chamber as recited in claim14, wherein an RF power source is coupled to either the top capacitiveelectrode or the bottom electrode.
 17. A plasma processing chamber asrecited in claim 14, wherein both the inner and the outer inductivecoils are below a chamber cover and buried in a dielectric materialencircled by a conductive block, and wherein a Faraday shield isdisposed beneath the dielectric material, and wherein the conductiveblock makes electrical contact with the Faraday shield to provide agrounding path to RF power coming from any of the electrodes.